United Kingdom Fossil-Fuel CO2 Emissions

Trends

The fossil-fuel CO2 emission record for the United Kingdom
represents the longest national record of this database and begins in
1751. Since 1950, the United Kingdom has dropped from fourth to ninth in
rank among fossil-fuel CO2 emitting nations. Total carbon
dioxide emissions in the United Kingdom for 2008, 143 million metric tons of carbon
in 2008, represents the lowest annual release since 1950 and 15-20%
below early 1970s peaks. A marked feature of the time series for the UK
is the reliance on coal until the late 1950s. Emissions from coal now
account for only 26% of the total emissions for the United Kingdom.
Emissions from natural gas use grew rapidly in the late 1960s and have
doubled since the early 1980s. Natural-gas burning now accounts for 37.0%
of total emissions of CO2.